Chivalry Lessons
by Micetta
Summary: In which Ally's a psychology student with a thing for helping people and Austin's love life is a mess. So, she takes the matters into her own hands and helps him become a perfect gentleman. Auslly. Multi-chapter.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello people! **

**I've been working on this new story for weeks and I finally decided to publish it. I made two of my friends read the first chapters of this and they liked them so I thought _why not share it with fanfiction readers?_**

**So there it is.**

**I appreaciated so much the support for my stories _Back off, sis_ and _Bad Reviews & Best Rescuers. _Like, seriously, I love you all. And if you liked this story as well, that'd mean the world to me :)**

**So, um... here's the prologue, enjoy!**

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><p>"I like you, but you're… not my type."<p>

New girl, same old story.

Austin's frustration was at the peak and he was about to throw in the towel. However, he decided to let the girl off and hope the next one would be less haughty. It's not like he got involved so easily with girls anyway, or maybe he just barely got the time to. They always ran away before he could.

The blame is not on his looks because, c'mon, who doesn't like his golden locks, hazel eyes and adorable, dazzling smile? No girl could ever wish for a more attractive guy to date.

And man, he was one heck of a singer. His voice was magic, a lullaby to help you sleep, a perfect harmony made for his perfect appearance.

For some unknown reason, though, girls seemed to run away from him like scared gazelles from a very hungry lion, instead of chasing him around like teenagers did with famous popstars. Okay, the reason was pretty much obvious, but he didn't want to admit it. To admit that he had this _insignificant, _unpleasing flaw that brought misery in his life.

And to think the last girl was a brunette, his favorite type of girl, which he rarely got since all the girls he had (briefly) dated were blondes. Correction, _dyed_ blondes.

In high school apparently girls liked him more, being the most "popular" guy in school and also the "basketball's star"… but now, in college? It looked like the _star_ had fallen… right on his head.

He was a freshman and majoring in economy, thanks to his beloved father - sarcasm alert -, and he had to deal with suckish things about management, suckish things with numbers, suckish every_fucking_thing.

And, as aforementioned, his love life was just as his major… You got the hint.

It was almost 7 in the morning and his class would start at 8. If there was a thing worse than classes, it was classes in early morning.

He got out of the bathroom in a rush, almost tripping over Dez, his red-head bestfriend and roommate.

"Hey, dude, calm down. I'm still sleeping even though I look awake," Dez said, yawning. He was struggling to keep his eyelids at least half open.

"Sorry, I have class early today and I can't miss it, unfortunately," he muttered the last part, wishing to go back in his bed, sandwiched between warm sheets.

"You kind of look mad today, apart from the being not able to sleep in. What happened?"

Another thing about his best friend? He totally could read his mind and his expressions due of years of experience started in kindergarten. Well, they had one long-lasting friendship.

"You know Rebecca?"

"The brunette that you started dating two days ago? Amazing body, too much perfume, annoying voice?"

"That one," he sighed, considering the fact that put in that way it wasn't such a loss, after all.

"What about her?"

"She broke up with me, yesterday. I'm not her _type, _I'm too rude and my snarky comments are too mean for her liking. In conclusion, I'm not the _perfect gentleman_ she wanted me to be," I scoffed, "Well, too bad."

"This is not the first time a girl has told you something like that. Austin, you should change your attitude, you should try to be more… well-mannered, unless you want to be a bachelor for the rest of your life. Girls want to be _wooed, _to be treated like princesses."

The blonde raised his eyebrow, "And you would know that because…?"

"Because," Dez whispered, getting closer to his friend as if he was about to spill a big secret, "I'm the love whisperer, remember?"

Old friend, same old story.

"And what's your advice, _love whisperer_?" His tone of voice was dripping with sarcasm, but Dez seemed clueless.

"Austin, you're like the beast, from 'Beauty and the Beast'. You have to find someone that truly loves you and then this person will be able to make you turn into a good guy. But, keep in mind that finding her won't be easy, you have to choose wisely, you gotta find a girl really, _really_ patient. After all, who would ever love a beast?" He quoted the last sentence directly from the movie, his voice dramatically deep as if he was acting in a theater.

That speech was too complicated to formulate for someone who had just woken up.

"Quoting Disney now? Dez, really? I'm supposed to find my… Belle?"

Dez grinned triumphantly, "Now you get it."

Everything in his long speech was a big bullshit and Austin was sure Disney movies weren't the right solution for his problems, but fighting back seemed pointless and he decided against it. So, letting out a sigh, he made his way towards his room to get dressed. "That may be hard," he shouted as he walked away, "you said it: who could ever love a _beast_?"

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><p>After Rebecca, there was a Katherine. A blonde, really tall, really dumb Katherine. He tried to lower his standards again, but the girl had dumped him even more quickly than Rebecca had. On the next day, he found her making out with a random dude in the boys dorm. He just rolled his eyes and went straight into his room, choosing to cross a different corridor. He had no intention to walk past them and observe the disgusting scene at a short distance.<p>

The thought made him gag.

Too much PDA, even for his accustomed eyes.

On Saturday, at the end of that failure of a week, Jace - one of his best friends, after Dez - invited him and his red-head friend over in his room. Room that he shared with Gavin, a jackass, stuck up guy he hated with all his being; he was majoring in medicine and if he one day would ever become a doctor, Austin swore that he'd never put himself in his hands.

Even if he was the last doctor on Earth, he'd rather die.

Back on Jace, he insisted they had to come over because he had recently got a girlfriend - a very feisty one, as he claimed - and finally he would let his friends meet her. Oh, and said girl would bring her best friend, too.

Austin was about to tell Jace that maybe having him meeting those pretty ladies would ruin everything, his new relationship included, since he had developed this superpower of scaring girls away.

But he forced the thought away, trying to be more optimistic and focusing instead on what he would wear. He settled on going with a plain black v-neck, washed out jeans with chains hanging on his left pocket and his over-used black converse. _Dress to impress_ wasn't in his to-do-list that night; fancy dressing was the last of his problems. Somehow, he had to fix his whole persona… or fix whatever wrong it was with women in general.

On the contrary, Dez showed up at the door of Austin's (messy) room in their mini shared apartment, looking like the rainbow had thrown up on him. His pants resembled a chessboard with yellow and red little squares and his T-shirt was yellow as well, with a green disturbing cat printed on it. It said '_Meow_'.

_How original_.

"Ready to go?"

Austin took his phone and slipped it in his back pocket. "Yep."

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><p>It didn't take long to get to Jace and the other idiot's room; they had to just cross the hallway. Unfortunately Gavin opened the door and Austin was obliged to fist bump him, much to his dismay. Dez and Jace (especially Dez) had insisted on getting along with him since they should be all friends and blah blah blah.<p>

"Hey, dudes. The girls are already here, we are hanging out in Jace's room." Austin nodded and just walked casually towards the room, but Dez sprinted past him and barged into it first.

The moment Austin entered, he was greeted by the view of Jace snuggling up on his bed with his girlfriend (a Latina, he noticed) and of a pretty, petite brunette sitting on the edge of the bed.

Jace disentangled himself from the girl and smiled widely, "Dez, Austin, these are Trish, my girlfriend and Ally, her bestfriend. Ally, Trish, those two are my best friends."

Dez wrapped the two girls in bear hugs, leaving Trish disgusted and Ally with an awkward smile playing on her lips. After the little show he put on, Austin decided to wave at them, not bothering to approach them and shook their hands (who did this anyway?). Trish waved back, bored out of hell but Ally, on the other hand, waved at him cheerily. _Too cheerily_. "Hello to you, Austin," her voice was as cheery as her expression was.

Ugh, he hated cheerfulness. Too bad she was undeniably pretty…

Soon, they all got in a conversation about random topics: you know, college, people they knew, upcoming parties and parties they attended. To be honest, Austin was eager to go back in his room and sleep until the next day, planning on waking up on late morning (or early afternoon).

Gotta enjoy Sundays.

On top of that, he really wasn't in the mood for socializing after all that dumping, courtesy of his lovely dates.

So, he decided to go take a drink from the two roommates' fridge, claiming to be thirsty, but actually looking for something better to do.

A soda was the only thing appetizing the fridge contained and he opened the can, sipping slowly from it. He wasn't thirsty for real, but that bubbly beverage was quite refreshing anyway. Three sips later, a girly voice interrupted his peaceful drinking, drawing his attention on herself. "Is there something else I can drink?"

He didn't know why but he almost smiled at her sheepish request. _Almost_. "There's water, if you want, but you can finish the rest of this soda, I don't think I can drink the whole can,"

She nodded, "Yes, thank you."

He handed her the can and she took it timidly, starting to sip on the content only a few seconds later, after inspecting the can. For some strange reason the way her plump, pink lips pressed on that metallic thing attracted him more than a simple gesture like this should; he was close to drool. Her innocent appearance was alluring and he couldn't understand why he all of a sudden was into this type of girl; he liked girls that looked older, more mature and just a little shorter than him. But Ally was like, a _head_ shorter.

But still, she was a _brunette_.

Yeah, that was it.

(Or maybe was it her nice body - emphasized by a croptop and high-waisted shorts - that had some influence on his judgment?)

Whatever it was, he had to snap out of it, _pronto_, before getting himself in a… awkward position. She was the one who cut the silence, but only after drinking the soda dry and throwing it in a trashcan nearby. "If I'm not being indiscreet, can I ask you why you look mad and a bit out of it?"

He sighed, in frustration. "Yes, you're being indiscreet and no, I'm not mad or out of it." His defensive side immediately kicked in.

"But it seems to me like you are," she singsonged. God, she _was _annoying.

"Fine, I am mad. I don't understand though why it does concern you,"

"I just want to help, that's all. I'm good at listening, you know." Oh right, the psychology thing. He had forgotten that she had told them she was majoring in psychology and her dream was to fix the problems of the whole world by giving useless advices like all the psychologists were paid to.

"I don't need a shrink, I want to stay alone."

She shook her head. "No, you don't. You know what's the first thing to do to resolve problems? Talking about it! And doing it with a stranger is an additional bonus. That is what psychologists are for."

"Oh, wait, is _that_ what they were invented for? I thought Freud was just messing around."

Ally looked unfazed, not what he expected after his snotty comeback. "Girls problems?" She guessed.

"You're not giving up, are you?" She shook her head, still gazing at the blonde with determination in her doe eyes. He sighed. "Yes, girls problems, I've been dumped like… three times in the past week. And you know what's funny? They all gave me the same reasons. I'm too _rude_ and not a _gentleman_ as they wished! I'm not _fucking Prince Charming_, I'm a normal person and this thing is frustrating because if this story keeps repeating, I'm destined to be a bachelor forever. Forever! And I don't want to age alone with forty cats!" He didn't realize that he had raised his voice so much at some point. He was even panting now.

Ally's face lit up and her lips curved upwards, forming a giant toothy grin. An expression like that could only mean one thing: _crazy idea_. "Austin, I'm happy to inform you that you just found the solution to all the problems in your miserable life."

"And what is it?"

"Me! As your personal guide in the Good Manners World."

Not only that idea was crazy, but the girl appeared to be _out of her mind_.

"Why would I accept that? And why are you willingly to do it? We just met."

"Because A, you need to get yourself a girlfriend and I can help you with that and B, I need to look after someone to improve my connection with people. I help you with your love life, you help me with my career. It sounds fair to me. What do you say? Deal?" She explained and outstretched her hand.

Crazy. It was totally, utterly crazy.

Nonetheless, - he didn't know if it was his desperation that took the best of him - he grasped her hand and shook it firmly.

"Deal."

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><p><strong>It's just the prologue, but let me know what you think anyway!<strong>

**The review button is down here. _Woot-woot._**


	2. Chapter 1: Superheroes Boxers

**A/N: hi, I'm back.**

**Thanks for the reviews, favoriting/following the story. Also, I saw a twitter account about Auslly fanfictions promoting this story like this person did with Back off sis (thank you whoever you are!). I'm so grateful with everyone you guys have no idea :)**

**I hope I won't disappoint you with what I planned for this story, since I've read people saying it seems "promising". So, well, this is the first official chapter. I hope you like it.**

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><p>The loud, dull sound of an air horn echoed in the room.<p>

Austin found himself being catapulted from Dreamland to the real world in a fraction of second, risking to fall off the bed and remaining dumbfounded for a couple of seconds more until he realized there was no World War III going on in his room.

Just Ally. With a freaking air horn in her hand and a proud smile on her face.

"Ally!" He shouted with the husky tone of voice of someone who had just woken up, "WHAT THE ACTUAL?"

"Good morning, Austin," she greeted casually and sat on the bed. "It's time to wake up."

"What? What time is it? Why are you here? _Who_ let you in? And what's with the fucking air horn?"

"Slow down, boy. It's half past ten. I'm here to start with our first lesson. Dez did. And… you are a heavy sleeper, you know? It was hard to wake you up, I _had_ to use harsh methods."

Half past ten for a Sunday morning was extremely early for him, he could barely keep his eyes open. Plus, he was used to being woken up by the pleasing melody of one of his favorite songs, not by _that_. Gosh, his heart was still beating fast in fear.

"But this isn't some military academy. Wake me up gently next time! Wait, there _won't be_ a next time, I sleep how many hours I think are necessary for my damn health."

"Woah," she exclaimed, thinking about it, "You need my help waaay more than I thought, blondie."

He put himself in a sitting position, the sheets were a messy pile on his lap now. Then, he leaned in towards her - now a bit flushed - face, "I don't think so, _shrink_."

She was the one to break the eye contact with a fake cough, to cover up her embarrass. He was dangerously close now, the platinum mop on his head could be summed up by the expression 'sex hair' and his bare chest revealed that little habit of him of sleeping shirtless. Ally hoped it was _just_ his shirt he didn't have on.

"We need to start with your room. It's a mess! You can't even see the floor, it's all covered with clothes and…" something caught her attention as she scanned the sorroundings, "is that a box of pizza?" She motioned to a white thing in the corner of the room, her face contorted in a grimace.

"How is cleaning my room the first step of getting a girl?"

"It's like… fundamental!" Ally stood up, outraged by Austin's question. "Did you ever take a girl here?"

He pondered about it. "Yes, I did,"

"Please, tell me the names of those poor girls and I'll send them a fruit basket and an apology letter. You _can't _let a girl walk in this hell you call a room! It's like you_ want_ to get dumped, Austin."

"Aren't psychologists supposed to _relax _patients and be gentle with them? You have zero tact, girl."

With her arms crossed and her crumpled up face, she now resembled a child who had just been scolded by his mom. "_Anyway,_" she started then, letting his accusation fall into oblivion, "a clean, tidy room makes you look like a good, polite guy and not some troublemaker, badboy with this confusion in his head big as the mess in his room! Your room reflects your being."

"Oh and, tell me, does my face reflect my annoyance right now?" He countered, sarcastically.

"Stop with this shitty attitude, get up and put those shirts in the place they belong: the wardrobe. And put the dirty ones in this bag. We'll do your laundry later."

"Yay, laundry," he cheered with sarcasm and let his head fell back on the pillow like a dead weight.

"Let's get to work," Ally announced and started rummaging through her bag to get something, probably her phone. Or at least, he _thought_.

"You know, I expected you to bring-" he cut off himself as he got up, staring at her with his mouth agape as she was struggling to wear latex gloves, "latex gloves."

She shrugged, "Good guess."

"How can I unsee this? You look like you're trying to inspect a corpse."

"Don't be so dramatic, I have no intention of gathering your clothes and touch by chance something that could get me sick," she explained like it was the most natural this in the world and picked up a shirt that peered from under his bed. The unpleasing odor it emanated was enough to make her drop it in the laundry bag without second thoughts.

After separating the clothes in his wardrobe and the bag, she even forced him to vacuum the entire carpet to eliminate all the dust that had formed. If only his mom could see her son in that moment, she'd have been very proud of him. What a pretty housewife he was, a pretty _desperate_ housewife… Got it? He shook his head at his terrible attempt of defusing the situation he was stuck in. A situation _he_ involved himself in. He still doubted he could get a girl with a good cleaning of his room but _Ally_ was the expert and he had to go with whatever she ordered. Why? 'Cause he had agreed on these terms. And he really, really, needed help.

But a little teasing could have spiced things up a bit, too. Teasing is _always_ a good pastime. "You know how this could have been fun? If you, along with those gloves, wore a sexy, tiny, maid dress," she snapped her head towards him, quitting her current occupation of polishing off his golden basket trophies from high school, and sent him a death glare.

"What?" He asked innocently, though the devilish grin on his face told he was anything but a cute blonde angel, "You would be _amazing_ in one of those."

Unsure of what to say and even slightly pondering if a 'thanks' would've been appropriate, she decided on playing annoyed and gave him a light punch on his hard, bare chest. She _had_ asked him to wear a T-shirt, but he had insisted not to because cleaning with a shirt on would've made him all sweaty. That, or he just wanted to mess up with her and get on her nerves.

Whatever it was, the only thing she knew was that every time she looked at him, she found herself questioning whether or not the air conditioner system in his room worked.

Was it _always_ so hot in there?

The cherry on top of the cake was when, being her so short she couldn't reach the top shelf and trying to get there standing on her tiptoes, he noticed her struggling and offered his help. Help that consisted in him unexpectedly sweeping her off her feet and keeping her back steady and pressed against his chest with his strong arms. She yelped at the sudden movement and current absence of gravity, dead embarrassed for the new position. "Austin!" She yelled, looking down at him sternly. The giant grin had never left his face.

"Clean that shelf, Ally. We don't want to leave trace of dust in this room now, do we?"

At this point, she'd rather _drown_ in dust.

But she cleaned up that shelf and his dumb trophies anyway, with a higher speed and less accuracy than she did with the previous ones. You may ask_ why_? Well, an attractive guy holding her up as doing so was a good reason.

Finally, after a couple of awkward minutes, he put her down and she tried not to let him see the blush that crept over her face. Her body felt burnt in the places that came in contact with his; she blamed it on his high body heath. Yeah.

Shaking her thoughts off, without wasting other time, she picked up the bag and announced their next less exciting activity. "Now, it's time for doing your laundry."

But, as they both got out his apartment (this time him being _fully_ clothed), he took the bag from her hand and carried it all the way to the laundry room, walking ahead of her.

That's what gentlemen do, isn't it?

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><p>They got in the laundry room in a heartbeat and Ally was glad to see it was empty, the only sound audible was one of the washing machines in motion. She was about to do <em>his <em>laundry, after all, not something she really wanted the whole dorm to know. But a job is a job and, even if the room pullulated with students, she would've done it anyway.

Austin placed himself in front of a washing machine and dropped the bag on the floor with a thump. He didn't even notice Ally wearing her latex gloves again and walking up to him. That girl had all the skills to become a ninja, no joke.

"So, what do we have here?" She started, rummaging through the content of the bag. The back of her hand hit something of a pretty shade of blue, decorated with what seemed characters from comics; she realized just then that it was some pair of boxers.

She picked it up and held it in front of her - not too close to smell it, of course -, shoving it in his face almost threateningly. "Superheroes boxers? Really?"

He smirked, hardly embarrassed for her finding, "Girls _love_ superheroes. I assure you those boxers are a huge turn on."

She gagged and threw the undergarment into the machine, sending another disgusted glance at it as she had recently done with the abandoned box of pizza in his room. "I'm glad to fall in the category of girls that dislike that thing with a passion. Well, at least I _hope _I'm not the only one."

Austin crossed his arms, in a way that made his muscles flex and his shirt raise a little. His famous V-line was showing again and for the second time, she had the feeling the air conditioner system lacked in some other portions of the dorms, too. "Are you questioning my underwear choice? 'Cause I'm sure I've never come in your room to check if your bras and panties were pretty enough."

Her face turned a deep shade of red and she had to restrain herself from slapping him with one of his dirty shirts. "Like I would ever care about your opinion anyway! The opinion of a guy with comics superheroes on his underwear."

"Look on the bright side, they could've had something written on them like 'handle it with care'," he observed, the innuendo very clear. His jokes were dirtier than his clothes and that was saying something.

"Oh my God," she facepalmed as he started laughing uncontrollably. For a second there he thought she might've thrown up soon.

"Sorry, I just _love_ making you all flustered."

She decided to ignore his provocation and pick up some of his shirts - and even some underwear - to throw in the washer. All of a sudden, his hand encircled her wrist tightly to stop her movements, her eyes connecting with his almost on instinct. "Stop it, you're hurting those poor clothes."

"_You _have to stop making me uncomfortable, it's hard to bear at times," she pleaded, frowning.

His features softened a bit. Ally looked like an inexperienced thirteen-years-old girl entrapped in the body of a nineteen-years-old; she was something else. "I'll try. And to make up to you, I'll take you with me to grab something to eat, how does it sound?"

Her frown turned into a cheeky smile, "I'd love to. See? You're already acting like a gentleman, this is a good start."

"I'm either a quick learner or you are a very competent teacher," he was smiling back at her.

She tossed her hair back in a diva fashion. "Well, I'd say the latter." They laughed in unison at her boost of confidence and stuffed the washing machine with the rest of his clothes.

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><p>"And then she said, <em>you idiot, you broke my favorite nail!<em> Why would you have a favorite nail anyway, aren't they all the same?"

While eating, he a sandwich and she a tuna salad, Austin kept Ally occupied with hilarious stories about some of his weirdest and snobbiest dates. Some of them were movie-worthy.

She looked like she was having the time of her life as she couldn't even continue eating because of all that laughing. _Poor boy_, she had thought,_ those girls were tough to put up with_.

"Oh, and I remember this girl, Dana. God, she was such a bad kisser! Yet, she had the nerve to criticize the way I eat," he bit into his sandwich hungrily, taking a big amount of it in his mouth and munching on it. "Can you believe that?" He observed thoughtfully, food still in his mouth.

Ally looked away, shaking her head. "Yes, I can, actually," she said in between small laughs, "Don't worry, we'll work on your good manners during a date tomorrow."

He swallowed the bite of sandwich and as he processed what she had just said, a smirk made its way back to his face. She feared what he would say next. "So, are we going on a date tomorrow?"

"Not a real one, you idiot. Swipe that stupid smirk off your face and take this seriously! We'll meet up in your apartment and I'll teach you how to behave with a girl on a date."

He sighed. "Okay, okay. Tomorrow's fine for me."

As she started eating her salad again, Ally looked around the cafeteria, spotting a table of only girls not really far away and it appeared they were not-so-subtly checking on them. They probably had been spying on them for quite some time, but Ally, being fully engaged in his funny stories, hadn't noticed until now. She had no idea why, some of them were probably his ex's or they only liked gossiping about other people.

Or maybe they were just jealous.

But girls being jealous of her because she was having lunch with an attractive guy was a first for Ally and, even though it was just a business relationship, it kind of felt good. So she let them stare; they'd grow bored after a while.

"So," she started off, "you play guitar?"

He looked a bit distracted. "Huh?"

"Don't play dumb. You think I didn't notice the black guitar case while cleaning? You like music?"

Man, she_ loved_ music. She _worshipped _it as if it was the God of a religion. Her dad owned a well-kept music store in Miami, called "Sonic Boom", and she used to work there sometimes during high school. Sometimes, she kind of missed it. It wasn't easy though; serving the clients, giving them advices, trying to explain the difference between a trombone and a tuba and contemporaneously doing her homework. Unnerving. But music made her happy as much as being surrounded by instruments. In addition, she had a thing for songwriting. Her passion started in kindergarten and it never went away.

"If I love music? That's an understatement, my dear shrink. As long as music stays in this world, it will never really deteriorate. I _can't _picture a life without music, it'd be plain boring. And as in for your question, yes, I play guitar, and piano, and drums, and a trumpet… in another trumpet!"

It astounded her how much his thoughts on music matched hers; she was almost _scared_. He may not be the perfect gentleman, but he owned the gentle, noble soul of an artist and _that_ was more than just "a good start". But hey, tell him and boost his ego further? Nah, she'd keep it to herself.

"This is awesome, my _dear apprentice_. My dad owns a music store and I've been playing piano since I was a little kid, he taught me."

"Your dad owns a music store? Woah, you just got a whole lot cooler."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah, Moon, I pretend to be a boring, plain psychology student when, in reality, I'm the lead singer of a hard rock band."

He laughed at first, but then something in her phrase seemed to have caught him off. "You called me Moon? I don't recall saying you my last name."

"Oh, that. I read it on your trophies. _Austin Moon, best basketball player of year 2011, 2012 and 2013_. Three years in a row? You must be good."

"They even gave me a trophy for being prized three times. And yeah, you could say I was pretty good, _Dawson_," he teased.

"Hey, neither I did tell you my last name! How did you…?"

"I'm not going to tell you that. A wizard _never_ reveals his best tricks." He winked at her and she snorted with frustration.

They talked some more before returning to their respective rooms, walking side by side in comfortable silence. They reached her room and they stopped in front of it, ready to say good bye to each other but not-ready-enough to end their fun half-day together. "So, I guess lesson one is done. Do I deserve an A+?"

She pretended to think about it, scrunching up her nose. "I'd go with a B-, for now. I'm a strict teacher, you know."

"B-? Well, you sure are! But don't worry, I'll try my best in our next lesson. So, tomorrow?"

"Yep. Type your number in my phone, so I'll text you when I'm about to come to your room." He indeed put his phone number in her phone, his fingers excitedly pressing on the numbers on the screen.

"Perfect. See you tomorrow, Austin."

"See you tomorrow, _shrink_." He winked and walked away from her, his hands in his pockets. _Mental note, teach him not to do it._

As she fumbled with the keys of the room, though, she saw Austin stopping in his track out of the corner of her eye. "I almost forgot. You may want to take me shopping, we should go one of these days," he called.

"Shopping? Why?"

"You questioned my choice in underwear, remember?"

She rolled her eyes and waved at him, without answering, hoping he would get the hint and finally get out from there for good. And he got out for real, his laughter fading as he rounded the corner.

His voice had been resonating through the entire hallway and it would've been really awkward if someone by chance heard a part of that conversation.

But he didn't really care.

And maybe, deep (_very_ deep) inside, she didn't either.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think and if you like the characters :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 2: Red Dresses and Fake Dates

**A/N: Hello my dear Auslly shippers!**

****Like always, first of all, thank you for the positive reviews :) ****

**I'm now back with this new chapter where Austin and Ally will go on a "date"... omg, what will happen? Wait, I'm the author, I know that.**

**Awks.**

**Well, enjoy!**

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><p>Spending half a day with an "overly handsome guy" was apparently a hot topic for Trish, who had pestered Ally with questions until she caved in and spilled "juicy deets" on the matter.<p>

She had to tell her how those hours went by, what they did (she asked this one suggestively) and if they had fun (again, same tone of voice). Ally rolled her eyes at her noisiness but she was _compelled _to give her a (almost) full report of that morning, as the chant Trish had tortured Ally with - "tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me" - was giving the poor girl a throbbing headache.

But she had omitted a few parts, namely his dirty jokes.

She had decided to drop the topic vaguely saying that Austin was "a guy that always jokes". As if his jokes were something fun, pleasant to hear and not some blush-inducing, sexual comments.

She blushed just _thinking_ about it.

"So, I guess you guys will start dating soon," the Latina stated, as if it was some sort of destiny the two couldn't escape from.

Ally sputtered everywhere. "_Whaaaat_? I'm helping him with girls, I don't like him _that way_. And he doesn't either."

Trish tried to hide her knowing grin by turning her head on the side, "Suuuure."

"Trish, I'm serious! He's not my type. I like gentlemen, those who hold the door open for you, pull out your chair at the table, send you flowers and write poems," Ally explained dreamily.

"Your ideal guy is _lame_. Wake up, Cinderella! It's the twenty-first century, for crying out loud! Get this man before somebody else will steal him from you," Trish said exasperated, shaking the brunette dramatically by her shoulders.

Ally carefully took her friend's arms by the wrists and removed them from herself, "There's no guy to get. This is purely for work, but I don't mind his friendship. He loves music as I do, at least I've got someone to talk about it with."

"Music? Nice save, my friend, nice save. But who knows? If you can help the prince inside this beast get out, you may find your happy ending."

Ally laughed at her friend's reference, amused. "Oh, and who am I supposed to be? Belle?"

"See? You got it," the curly-haired girl patted her head mockingly, trying to keep her face straight. But soon after, her laughs filled the room along with her best friend's ones.

"Anyway, get out now! I promised Austin yesterday I'd go to his room to teach him how to behave on date, pretending to be on a date ourselves."

Trish's sly expression was a clear indication that she thought it was going to be all but a _fake_ date. "Okay," she said however, standing up from the bed. She made her way to exit the room, but paused a bit on the doorway. "In my opinion, I think you should go with the red dress…"

The only response was a pillow thrown in her direction.

* * *

><p>With the sound of her wedges resonating through the hall, her body wrapped in the soft material of the tight, short-sleeved red dress, Ally finally reached her destination. Her apprentice's room.<p>

After knocking twice, as she waited for him to open the door, two dark-haired guys walked past her and she didn't miss the whistle one of them emitted in appreciation nor the statement "_Moon has company tonight_". Of course they assumed she was one of his conquests, but in that case they were oh-so-wrong; she was the one who would put an _end _to the endless coming and going of girls in and out of his room.

She lost the train of her thought when she realized the door was opening in front of her, revealing a smirking Austin.

"You don't keep a girl waiting that long, Austin, especially if-" she didn't even finish the sentence as she was greeted by the view of a blonde, pretty girl sitting at the table in the middle of the main room.

The girl grinned at her widely, her little ponytails bouncing on her head as she hastily waved at her; the unknown cutie was wearing the most colorful dress Ally had ever seen in her life and, for being a college student, in her attire she didn't look older than eleven.

One-hundred questions popped up in her head, a strong, foreign feeling invading her.

Who was that girl?

Why was she there?

And why did his taste in women suck so bad?

He leaned in, his mouth right on her ear. "Don't be jealous, she's not here for me," he whispered, as he saw her shocked expression that he _mistook_ for one of jealousy.

She didn't even get the chance to reply as the door of one of the rooms opened in a swift motion and a colorful-dressed (more than the girl) Dez appeared from it. The girl's face lit up as he approached her and dropped on his knees. He took her hand and kissed it softly, "Milady, I'm ready for our date. Be prepared for a night of enchantment!"

She giggled and hugged him tightly, "Oh Dez, my prince, I love you!"

Ally watched at them in astonishment, feeling like she was stuck in a low-quality soap opera, and Austin kept sighing and rolling his eyes, probably used to situations like those.

The couple walked up to them, never ceasing to stare into the other's eyes, and finally the blondie spoke. "I'm Carrie, you must be Ally, Austin's friend! Sorry if we didn't have the chance to talk but I've got a special night out with my prince tonight," she booped his nose, "but hey, it'll be for another time!"

Ally smiled. "Sure thing."

Right after, Dez butted in. "Now, if you excuse us," he motioned to the door and Austin and Ally took it as a cue to move from it.

"Please, Ally, _never _make me do something like that," Austin pleaded as the couple stepped out - taking all their colorfulness with them.

Ally let out a heartfelt laugh at his request, softened by his baffled expression. "Don't worry. That thing, whatever it was, wasn't in my plans."

"Good," he breathed out as he plopped on one of the chairs and put his feet crossed on the table, "So what's the plan?"

"First of all," she started off, removing his feet off table's surface, "sit up! Putting your feet on the table makes a very bad impression. Second of all, I'll finally start teaching you the rules of _bon ton_ at dinner!"

He looked up at her puzzled for a second. "Bon what?"

"Bon Ton. It's French, it means good manners. The ones you lack at."

"Excuse me, I didn't take French in high school," he said in a mock tone.

"You didn't take Chivalry either."

"Touché."

Ally decided to end their little banter by sitting down and starting with lesson two of the How To Be A Gentleman unwritten manual. "So, let's pretend we are on a date."

He laughed just then, not even trying to hide it. She let out a frustrated sigh, "What's so funny?"

"You were so jealous of Carrie, Ally. Don't deny it." His laugh was only put on a halt when she rolled up a paper on the table and slapped him with it on top on his head, earning a "ouch" in response. Her face was red for embarrass or anger or both - Austin couldn't quite tell - matching the color of her pretty dress.

"Austin!"

"Okay, sorry, I'll behave now. Let's carry on with this. What do I have to do?"

"We have to make our entrance again. You know what one of the things real gentlemen do is?" She asked, but interrupted him as his mouth opened to answer her rhetorical question, "They hold the door open for their woman! So let's go outside and pretend you're walking me in."

He stood up exasperated, considering the idea_ crazy_, but he was desperate enough to comply anyway; man, getting (and keeping) a girl was harder than he thought.

And so, they stood outside the slight ajar door.

In the hall.

Where somebody could walk by at any minute.

And, just his luck, two guys he knew walked past them just as he opened the door for her, motioning her to walk inside, in the most polite way possible. "Moon, have fun tonight," one of the two guys shouted suggestively. Ally recognized him as one of the two dark-haired guys from before. Ugh, _why_ were they still there?

Austin gripped the doorknob tighter, pushing Ally inside gently by her lower back, "Watch your mouth, Jack." They both laughed, making impressions of Austin as they walked away and into some room.

"Excuse those two, they're idiots. I don't even know how they made it into this college."

Ally smiled at the fact he was excusing himself for someone else's bad behavior and for he was so annoyed at people having bad thoughts about them. Her whole being was truly warmed up; his severe tone of voice showed he didn't want them to see her as one of his one-night-stands. _That _was respect.

Those guys' hinting, though, left Ally wondering how many girls Austin had been seen with, what the other guys knew about it and what Austin and said girl used to do in his room, but her insides churned the more she wondered about it and she decided it was better to suppress whatever thoughts she was having. She was feeling a bit sick already.

Holding the door open for a girl, _check_.

Keeping his temper down, better than she imagined.

"Now pull out the chair from under the table and help me sit," she instructed and he did so, this time not complaining.

Then, he sat down across from her. "What now?"

"Now, you compliment the girl and then you proceed with talking about random topics and common interests. And keep in mind that lots of girl _love _talking and they wouldn't stop for hours, so if they start talking - per say - about shopping and nail polish, smile widely and nod, feigning interest. Girls like to be listened to."

Oh, he knew. Some of his past dates had not only talked endlessly about clothes, perfumes and nail polish but had asked advices from him, too. If he had to be honest, he wouldn't care less what color of nail polish the girl wore. Blue, yellow, purple… they were _colors _for Goodness' sake, not jobs.

"Ally," he said suddenly, fixing his partly bangs-covered hazel eyes on hers, taking her petite hand in his and tracing small circles on her palm; she couldn't tell why her breath hitched and her heart speeded up. "Your dress makes your body extremely delicious."

She removed her hand from his and smacked him on the head again, "Austin!" Screamed Ally, outraged. "At least _try_ to be serious!"

Needless to say, her face was read as a tomato for the umpteenth time.

"I _am_ being serious!" He countered.

"Okay, let's try this. Compliment the girl _without_ using sexual comments, you perv. Sometimes you should keep things to yourself."

"Fine, let's try this again," he took a deep breath and grabbed her hand again, "Ally, you look beautiful in your lovely dress."

The brunette smiled triumphantly, "Perfect. I like that."

"Really? I look like the college version of Prince Charming, just plain ridiculous."

"No, you are being ridiculous _now_, Austin. Comments like this are what make girls melt, I can assure you."

He sighed in resignation. "Well, you're the expert, so I'll stick to the Prince Charming type of compliments."

"Good. Now it comes the hard part. Dear Austin, we're approaching part 2 of the evening: the _talking_."

If he didn't know what the heck she was talking about, he'd have easily thought that she was acting out the trailer of a horror movie.

However, her tone was accurate, after all.

Talking with a girl _is_ scary.

"What am I supposed to ask my date?"

"Her dreams, the career she wants to pursue after college, her hobbies.. Talk about _her_, but you have to talk about your interests as well. You just have to let her talk first. And when she does, _look_ at her."

"I might take notes, this seems like a lot of work." His books about economy stuff were probably easier to understand; a subject seemed to be more complicated now: _women_. His high school grades in this special subject were straight A's, but in college they had dropped steeply. He could barely get a C.

His best grade until then was Ally's _B-_.

He hoped that at the end of their tutoring he'd switch that B- with an A+.

"Come on! Come up with something, anything's fine," she prompted.

He thought hard about it until suddenly, a light bulb lit up in his head and wide grin spread on his face. "You told me you like music, right? Do you play other instruments apart from piano?"

Ally gave him thumbs up before shaking thoughtfully her head. "Just piano."

"What about guitar? I can teach you."

At this point Ally couldn't say if he was being serious or just playing the part, but she decided to go along with it anyway. "I don't know. I feel like by learning a new instrument, I'd betray the piano. That's how it has always been: me, my piano and music," she admitted and then averted her gaze, embarrassed. "I know, it's silly."

But he didn't laugh or call her weird as she expected. His lips curved in a smile, a genuine one. "Don't worry, I won't let your piano find out."

She smiled in return, securing a strand of hair behind her ear. His reply made her heart flutter, just a little.

"Do you have any other hobby?"

"Offering guitar lessons and then asking me about my hobbies? You're learning fast, Austin. Very _charming_." She couldn't stop the laughs escaping from her mouth as he childishly stuck his tongue at her.

_So_ charming.

"Well," Ally started as she recomposed herself, "for example, I really love writing my own songs in my personal songbook that no one is allowed to touch."

His eyes lit up at the revelation. He sucked at writing and if that girl could really write, she was definitely a genius for him. "Really? You _are _cool, Shrink. You should let me hear your songs some day."

She shook her head vigorously, slightly panicked. "No, I don't let people hear my songs… they're too personal."

Every song contained a piece of her, even though not all the songs were necessarily autobiographic, but she put a bit of herself in there; her emotions, her thoughts, her heart, _herself_. It's not like anyone could hear them, they were_ hers_ and hers only. She didn't want to share.

"Eh, don't bother. I'll sneak into your room someday when you're in class and I'll steal your songbook," he smirked evilly.

"What's the best you can do with it? Steal a song, make a video for it and become an internet sensation?"

He looked at her slyly, biting the inside of his cheek and wiggling a finger at her, "That is a good idea."

Somehow she remembered of the rolled paper lying on the table and hit him again.

As they went on and on about music, time flowed faster and it didn't take long for Ally, after glancing up at the wall clock in front of her, to realize that they had skipped dinner. Their college had a strict dinner schedule; if you didn't show up in time at the cafeteria, you had to go to bed starving.

Unless you kept a supply of chips and cookies in your room.

Which, basically, every student had.

After noticing Ally's change in expression, Austin looked at the clock, growling in frustration. "We involuntary skipped dinner, didn't we?"

Ally nodded, feeling a bit guilty, since she was the one who came up with the fake date and all. "Afraid so."

"Eh, I've got chips and cookies," he suggested, leaving Ally not surprised, "and I'm sure Dez is hiding chocolate muffins somewhere. Or, we could go to Jace's room. He has the best food."

She scrunched up her nose, "I don't think we should go to Jace's room, he's with Trish right now and I think they're a little… um… busy."

"Got it," he nodded, but didn't miss Ally's slight blush creeping over her face; she resembled a goody-two-shoes obliged to repeat a bad word or something scandalous.

That was adorable.

And dorky.

She was _adorkable_.

Ally fit the description better than anyone Austin could think of. The word seemed created exclusively for her.

"Chips it is," he said then, rubbing his hands together and walking up to a small wooden piece of furniture that contained their food supplies. But Ally's sudden squeal made him drop a bunch of chips from the bag as he opened it. "What the…"

"I've got a brilliant idea! We _might _have to break the rules a little, but it'll be worth it. Our stomachs will sure be very grateful and this idea can also be part of our lessons!"

He was eyeing her wary, scared even at Ally saying "break the rules" and "worth it" in the same sentence. Though, he'd have agreed on everything, whatever it was, if at the end he obtained healthier food than chips. "What are you planning?"

She seemed to ignore his question as she took a step closer to him, then two and then positioned herself in front of his body, crossing her arms over the chest. Even with wedges on she looked awfully small compared to him.

But kind of scaring, nonetheless.

"You know what quality in a man attracts women most?"

He held back all the bad, inappropriate answers his mind came up with and leaned in a bit, mimicking her arms' position, his face almost at her level. "Enlighten me," he whispered, the corners of his mouth lifting up in a cunning grin, his breath fanning her hair.

"Their ability in the kitchen."

* * *

><p><strong>Like it? Love it? Hate it?<strong>

**Let me know what your favorite part/line was! ;)**

**I'm introducing a new character in chapter 3, somebody who's related to Ally... hehe.**


	4. Chapter 3: Spaghetti and Stargazing

**A/N: hello, happy Halloween!**

**I know I suck at updating but the college life is keeping me busy. I even had my first college exam yesterday... yay.**

**I wrote this chapter like forever ago but I hadn't had the time to proofread it until now, ugh. So now I'm writing the next one and I'll try to finish it this weekend :)**

**Hope you like it!**

* * *

><p>"Breaking into the kitchen? Man, Ally. I didn't picture you like<em> that<em> type of girl."

It was past 9 in the evening and the cool air of mid-October was making itself known as it blew rather violently on Ally's skin. She regretted wearing that red dress instead of a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. It was Trish's fault; she put the idea of wearing that dress in her mind in the first place.

In addition, Austin's jokes weren't that much helpful. She couldn't tell what they were doing, keeping her plan a surprise, but he was pestering her with jokes about her being a bad girl and a rule-breaker and ugh, she kind of felt like one as she skillfully tried to open the kitchens' doors.

Man, those doors were heavy to push.

Finally, she successfully opened them and the light inside glowed on both their faces. Her eyes landed on the figure of a man she hoped would be there.

"Uncle James!" she shouted cheerily.

The man raised his gaze and looked at Ally, his lips forming a big smile. "Ally! What are you doing here?" He cleaned off his hands on his apron and wrapped his arms around the girl. Austin took the man's appearance in; he was tall and with broad shoulders, his hair under the cap he wore seemed grayish, the same color of the wide moustache just above his lips. He looked in his mid-fifties and he might as well have been an ex football player.

"Uncle Jamie, this is Austin, a friend of mine. Austin, this is James Dawson. The best uncle in the universe," she smiled up at him and rested her head on his arm.

Austin shook his hand politely. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Dawson."

For some reason, he was trying hard to make a good impression on him, _too _hard. But hey, this had _nothing_ to do with the fact that he was related to Ally.

No, it was just Ally's influence about being a gentleman with everyone, not just with girls.

"Nice to meet you, Austin. May I ask _again_ why you guys are here? If you're looking for a hideout to get some privacy, I got to inform you that we don't leave the kitchen until 11," he said, winking at the two.

Ally blushed dark red and, as it weird as it may seem, _Austin_ did too. "Uncle! Oh my goodness, we are not! Actually, I was looking for _you._ See, we skipped dinner and since I'm giving Austin lessons about… things, I thought we could cook something here and then eat. I thought that he needed cooking lessons, _please_ Uncle!"

His face was uncertain until she gave him the puppy eyes and it softened. "Fine, but let's be quick. It's against the rules to let students here."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She wrapped the man in a tight embrace. "If somebody asks, I'll come up with some family problem that I needed to tell you about."

He messed up her hair fondly, laughing. "You never fail to amaze me, Al. You've always been a smart girl. I don't get how you can be the child of that idiot of my brother."

She chuckled, "Come on, don't be harsh on him. I know you love him, he's still your _little bro_, after all."

"Yeah, yeah. And I got to admit he raised you well. If he only wasn't so cheap…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "And I wish he hadn't let your mother go. But we can't change the past."

Austin looked at James, then at Ally, whose expression had hardened a little. He wondered what her uncle meant with "let your mother go", but judging by her face, that still was a touchy subject. A wound not yet healed.

"So, what are we cooking? I hope it's something good," he butted in, maybe too suddenly, and maybe with a clear amount of nervousness in his voice, but his comment made Ally's frown turn back into a smile. Like she had erased her parents' thoughts from her head.

And he was glad he had brought that smile back.

"I'd go with pasta! You know, girls _love _foreign food. Especially Italian cuisine. You could make any girl impressed with a good plate full of pasta."

James' expression seemed approving. "Ally's right. I don't get why we're talking about girls right now, but I'm sure you guys have your reasons. Pasta is a perfect choice, anyway."

Ally smiled triumphantly. "What kind of pasta do you think it's best for us to cook?"

He pondered a bit, slowly caressing his moustache. "What about _Spaghetti Carbonara_?"

Ally's face lit up with such a light Austin thought she might illuminate a whole room just by walking in. "Really? I love you, Uncle James. You _are_ the best."

James smiled down at her and then adverted his dark eyes towards Austin, who started to feel smaller under his gaze. That man gave him anxiety.

"If you're wondering why my niece is behaving like a kid, just know that this was her favorite food as a little girl. She would eat Spaghetti all day, every day and never got bored of it."

"In my defense, Carbonara is exquisite," she countered.

"Okay, let's get started," James interjected, "Austin, take that pot and fill half of it with water."

The blonde realized that he was talking to him soon after, and scurried to the place the pot was standing in all its glory. He did as he was told and almost dropped the pot before reaching the cookers; of course, he blamed it all on his nervousness. It's not like his perfect sculpted arms couldn't carry some water's weight.

But as the chef nodded at him, he felt like having just accomplished an impossible mission.

Well, for him, cooking was kind of a Mission Impossible.

He had to ignore the snicker of another cook nearby, even though at first he had a very strong desire of punching him on the face. But he had the feeling that Ally may have not liked it.

In the meantime, Mr. Dawson had began cutting the slices of bacon in little squares, and then left Ally in charge of cutting the rest as he prepared a pan with some oil. Austin stood beside her as he watched her small piano hands moving delicately the knife - an instrument that looked, in opposition of her gentleness, _dangerous_ - on the bacon. He wondered what she looked like when she played piano. If she used to close her eyes in concentration, if she smiled or frowned without noticing.

He had to stop the thoughts in the same way they came into his mind in the first place: abruptly. She had said, not even two hours before, that there was no way he could hear her sing her songs.

But then he wondered again if she could at least sing for him _different _songs.

A manly voice brought him back to reality and he almost sent a salt shaker on the floor; he was being so clumsy he was having identity crisis. Austin Moon was never known for clumsiness. In high school, he was the_best basketball player_ (hence the trophies) and everyone used to compliment him for the graceful way he moved on the field.

But things _change_.

He had learned it first-hand.

"Austin," James had said, "the water's boiling. It's time to put the spaghetti in it."

Somehow Ally had approached them, making her presence known when her soft hair hit the flesh of Austin's arm. This caused Austin to feel a tingling sensation that wasn't entirely physical; he kind of felt it _into_ his whole body, too.

He smirked down at her, to cover up what was feeling on the inside. "So, what do you think of Chef Austin?"

She rolled her cute, doe eyes. "Not bad."

Soon enough, the spaghetti was ready and the bacon was perfectly cooked. James put the pasta in the pan and mixed it all, adding eggs and parmesan. Lots of it. "The more, the better," as Ally suggested.

Finally, they got to eat. Austin couldn't wait to fill his empty stomach and he was pretty sure that at least, while eating, he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

He learned Ally's father and uncle had Italian origins and they both knew how to cook, but only James matured the idea of becoming a chef. Lester's passion for music - and money - overcame all of his other passions and, after a few years of giving people piano lessons to scrape together some money, he decided to get into business and open a music store.

Much to his surprise, Austin realized to have another thing in common with the brunette. His parents also owned a store - a mattresses one. He had to struggle his whole life with their annoying commercials and crazy ways to draw clients into the store.

Sometimes, he found himself involved.

The thought of those past memories made him shiver.

Plus, if putting up with that ridiculousness wasn't enough, his father prompted him to major in economy/business, something that he _despised _with all his being. Though, finding a job was still important and that major would provide him a good one, so his father kind of had a point. And he, reluctantly, accepted.

So now, there he was, with a psychology student who claimed to be the _solution to all his problems _and her Uncle, the college cafeteria's chef, whose appearance made him nervous (but you already know that).

"That was very good, Mr. Dawson. My stomach thanks you," Austin said jokingly as he put the fork down.

"You're welcome. You're lucky you were with my favorite niece or else you wouldn't have had this fancy dinner," he joked back.

Ally looked back and forth between the two, smiling as she sensed they were getting along.

"So, it's getting late, we don't want to disturb you further, Uncle. Do you need help with cleaning the dishes, before we go?"

Austin was again speechless at her gentleness, she didn't even _try_. And he, on the other hand, had to take _notes_ not to forget how to behave correctly.

James shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything, just go back to your dorm and sleep. You've got classes tomorrow, girl," he said, kissing her forehead and then shook Austin's hand, giving him a not-so-frightening warning. "And _you,_ take her back to her dorm, immediately. Am I being clear?"

"Yes, sir."

If you were to ask Ally, though, she'd say he _was_ a bit frightened.

They stepped outside of the heavy, thick doors in the dark night, lightened by the moon and the clearly visible stars. Ally admired how his face shone in the moonlight, his bleached hair turning slightly silver. The vision was too perfect for her to ruin it with some joke about the Moon's (beside her and up in the sky).

Therefore, she didn't say anything.

And he had no intention of saying anything, either.

So they just walked together heading to her dorm in silence, a quite _loud_ silence filled with the million thoughts forming in both their heads.

The air was even colder now, since the deep night was slowly approaching, and Ally shuddered visibly and wrapped her arms around herself.

Before registering what he was doing, Austin took off his denim jacket and dropped it on her slim shoulders. The action caught Ally totally off guard and she grinned up at the blonde to tease him, but he was already looking away in an attempt to avoid her eyes. "Giving me your jacket? Very good, my apprentice. And I didn't even ask you to, I'm impressed."

He snorted, walking ahead of her. "Oh, just shut up. I've seen people doing this in movies and when I saw you getting cold, I just… remembered. That's all."

She giggled at his out of character awkwardness and grabbed his wrist, forcing him to turn back. He stopped abruptly and looked back at her, now finally seeing how funny she looked in his over-sized jacket but cute, nonetheless.

Wow, those _movies_ were rubbing off on him.

"What?" he spat. He didn't mean to sound angry, just _emotionless_, but it was impossible considering the pent-up nervousness inside of him.

"I don't want to go back yet, let's just stay around here until the curfew. We can talk some more and let go of our lessons for now. What do you say?"

Why did his lips have to lift up into a smile themselves?

Man, he wasn't in control of his body language anymore.

"It's okay for me."

Ally suggested to lay down on the grass in a small park within the campus, just under a centenary tree. She loved it there.

The grass was slightly wet because of the air humidity, but thanks to the little gift she had received by her blond company, she could feel it only on her legs; the jacket shielded her upper body from that dampness.

"This may sound random but," he began, leaning his head on his palms, "I miss Miami sometimes. Don't get this wrong, I _love _NY, but my family, my old friends, my house… I left it all back in Miami."

At his revelation, Ally felt a heavy weight pressing on her chest, almost taking the ability of breathing away from her. She flinched, but he didn't notice. "And you, Ally? Do you miss your dad? Wait, I never asked where you are from."

"I- um, what a weird coincidence!" She said, surprised, but with a hint of nervousness, "I'm from Miami, too."

His neck cracked to the side, eyeing her questioningly. "Really? We're from the same city? This is so _cool_, Ally!"

She chuckled nervously. "Yeah. Funny, right?"

She hoped he wouldn't question her further about their hometown and just drop the subject; but he had other plans. "What school did you attend?"

"Umm, Mustang High School! You know, _'go Mustangs!',_" she said, repeating the school's well-known and over-heard cheering and moving her arms around to add emphasis to her little performance.

"Oh, we beat those losers so many times! I attended Marino High School, by the way."

Her breathing problem still hasn't stopped. "Marino! I perfectly know it, I've heard it's a good school," She hoped her tone of voice was misleading him into thinking that she didn't know the school well.

But, alas, she did.

And the composure she had tried to manage since she had met him in Jace's room was tumbling down.

"It's weird you've never heard about me if you used to watch matches," he pointed out.

Ally laughed, "I guess I've never heard about you cause I wasn't into sports and I'm still not. And I didn't have a strong high school spirit, either."

He just shrugged and went back to stargazing. She had to keep herself from letting out a 'whew' of relief; that would have been suspicious.

They didn't say anything for a while, enjoying the view and the cool breeze blowing on their bodies, until Ally broke the silence. "Did you mean it, Austin?"

The question left Austin puzzled, not catching what she was referring at. "Mean what?"

"The internet sensation thing-"

"Oh, that," he laughed at how silly that statement had been, "no, I'd never steal your songs, if that's what worries you."

"No, no, I mean… would you like to become a singer? Playing shows, sharing your music with fans?"

That though had crossed his mind just… a million times. That was his biggest dream, bigger than his dream of eating the world's largest pancake.

But even if pursuing that dream would make him the happiest person alive, he had to keep it locked up in his head.

"I wouldn't _like_ that, I'd _fucking love_ that. Music is my first source of happiness and sharing my music around the world? Man, I've got no words to describe accurately how amazing it would be."

Like every time, he was picturing himself on a stage dancing and singing his hit songs.

Ugh, just fantasies.

"What about you, Ally?" He asked curious and looked at her again. He noticed her face crumpling a bit as she pondered on how to formulate her answer. From that point of view, he could see the shape of her lips, nose and her dark, long lashes forming shadows on her rosy cheeks.

"I'd like that, but I'd never able to accomplish that. I'm scared, I wouldn't even make it on the stage. I'd throw up before getting there," she sighed, "stupid stage fright."

He was bummed at hearing her problem but, at the same time, that heart-to-heart conversation only made him crave a kiss from her. But he suppressed the want, stiffening all his muscles as if it kept him from jumping on her and making his lips land on her plump ones.

If he did, he'd have earned a slap and lost a teacher whose subject mattered a lot to him at the moment.

But was it hard.

She couldn't like him, she was interested in gentleman type of males. The type of male he was learning to become. And _who knows_, he thought, _then I could actually have a chance_.

"You should try," he said, then, "start singing to people. Put videos on the internet, you could get rid of your stage fright and become famous."

"Easy for you to say, you're so much more confident than me. Don't worry, though, I'm going to be a psychologist and I really love this job, too."

He smiled.

Her expression turned peaceful once again, therefore he avoided asking the question that'd lingered in his mind since he had listened to James speaking about her parents; he was dying to know what happened to her mom.

But _curiosity killed the cat_, they said.

And maybe it also killed the gentleman.

So he just shut up.

After a few minutes, she stood up and straightened her dress, the familiar weight of his jacket still on her shoulders. She could get used to it.

"It's time to go back, my apprentice. Can you walk me to my dorm?"

"You don't even need to ask," he said as he helped himself up, pressing the palm of his hand on the damp grass, "I'd never let you walk alone at night. Plus, I think Uncle James would kill me with one of his chef knives if I did."

She laughed because she _knew_ he actually would.

Okay, maybe he wouldn't kill _kill_ him, but… you get it.

And as promised, he walked her to the dorm and Ally ignored a couple of girls staring at them (nothing new since she had started hanging out with him).

"You know," she began, as they reached the door, "I had fun with you today on our non-date, we could do that more often."

She immediately regretted saying that, wondering if she had been too bold and if that request had somewhat bothered him or if he had misinterpreted what she meant.

He didn't seem to mind, though. "You're right. I had fun and I'd learned plenty of things. So, what do I deserve for today's lesson? An A+, maybe?"

She shook her head. "Don't go ahead of yourself! You've got a long road to walk through. I'll go for a B, for now. Be patient!"

He sighed, "Okay, I'll accept my B for now, but I promise, Dawson, I'll be the best student you'll ever have in your whole life. At the end of this, you'll be impressed of my transformation."

Austin was grinning ear to ear.

And Ally just rolled her eyes at him. "We'll see. Bye, Austin, see you. I'm already preparing lesson 3."

"Can't wait," he winked at her and with a quick wave, he left swiftly as the curfew was approaching.

With one last smile thrown in his direction, she opened the door and stepped inside her apartment and for a moment she thought his odor was still in the air around her.

She felt like having completely reached a non-return point of mental illness until she realized the smell came from _his_ jacket, which she was yet wearing.

Well, she wasn't _that_ crazy, after all.

* * *

><p><strong>Uh, it looks like Ally has a secret... what it could be? Let me know what you think with a review! :D<strong>

**And tell me if you're wearing a costume tonight, I'm curious. As for me, unfortunately, I'm not dressing up for Halloween even though I reeaally want to. :(**


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